LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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PRESENTED BY 

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UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 




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itoioit C|«oIoo,ind Institution;: 



SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY, 



AND AN ACCOUNT OF 



THE SERVICES AT THE DEDICATION OF THE NEW BUILDING, 

SEPTEMBER 10, 1866. 



A COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 






BOSTON: 

GJ- O XT H, D AND L I N" C O H. N , 

59 WASHINGTON STTtEET. 
1866. 



Xk> 



V 



ROCKWELL AND ROLLINS, PRINTERS, 
122 Washington .Street, Boston. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



'N the earlier years of this century, the attention of sev- 
eral intelligent ministers and laymen of the Baptist 
denomination in New England was directed to the 
^ importance of improved facilities for the education of 
candidates for the Christian ministry. Rhode Island Col- 
lege, now Brown University, had been founded with special 
reference to this object ; but, owing to unfavorable circum- 
stances, its design had not been carried out to the extent 
that many desired, and, as the need of something more 
effective was every year becoming more apparent and im- 
perative, consultations upon the subject were frequent and 
earnest. It was well and painfully understood that the 
prejudices of the past with respect to an educated min- 
istry still lingered in the churches, and those who were 
most convinced that such prejudices were unfriendly to our 
prosperity, felt satisfied that an advance in the desirable 
direction must be made with cautious moderation. It would 
not be wise to proceed farther or faster than the general 
sentiment in the churches would approve and practically 
sustain. Our fathers therefore addressed themselves, first 
of all, to the preparatory work of enlightenment and the 
dissipation of erroneous opinions. In that process they were 
successful, and in good time the pressure of conviction that 



NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 



more should be attempted became too strong to be resisted, 
and incipient steps were taken towards a combined and or- 
ganized effort. They were not ready for anything like the 
establishment of a seminary of sacred learning, but they were 
ready to do what the immediate exigencies of the churches 
demanded, and could wait on Divine Providence for further 
indications of duty. 

At the annual meeting of the Boston Baptist Association, 
held with the Second Baptist Church in Boston, September 
21 and 22, 1814, the letter of that church, as written by its 
pastor, the venerated Baldwin, suggested "the propriety and 
importance of forming an education society to afford aid to 
those of our young brethren who are desirous of engaging in 
the ministry, in obtaining literary and theological informa- 
tion." The intimation was sufficiently modest, and, coming 
from such a source and in such terms, it was not likely to 
awaken opposition. The idea may have originated in the 
mind of Dr. Baldwin ; but he did not propose to make it 
practical until he had the concurrence of others upon whom 
he could depend for intelligent co-operation. He was no 
indiscreet adventurer. 

The proposition, favorably received, was referred to a 
committee, consisting of the Rev. Daniel Merrill, of Not- 
tingham West, N. H., the Rev. Luther Rice, who was 
present as agent of the Baptist General Convention, and 
Mr. Ensign Lincoln, of Boston. That committee reported, 
strongly recommending the measure, and presented the draft 
of a constitution, which was promptly adopted. The organ- 
ization was named " The Massachusetts Baptist Education 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



Society," now known, in its extended form, as " The Northern 
Baptist Education Society." The third article of the Consti- 
tution thus defined the purpose of its founders : — 

" The object of this society shall be to afford the means of 
education to young men of the Baptist denomination who 
shall furnish evidence to the churches of which they are mem- 
bers, and to the Executive Committee, hereafter named, of 
their personal piety and call to the gospel ministry." 

The Association appointed twenty-three Trustees, one from 
the delegation of every church represented in that body, and 
those Trustees elected nine of their number as an Executive 
Committee, with Eev. Dr. Baldwin as Chairman, Eev. Wil- 
liam Batchelder as Secretary, and Rev. Daniel Sharp as Treas- 
urer. An Address, adopted by the Association, was issued 
by " the Elders and Messengers to the churches " they repre- 
sented, judiciously explaining the reasons for their action, 
and inviting cordial co-operation. 

For many years the society reported annually to the Asso- 
ciation in which it had its origin and whose members were 
the principal contributors to its funds. The receipts the first 
year were $692.07, the whole amount having been appropri- 
ated. The eleventh annual report, written by the Eev. Eben- 
ezer Nelson, and presented in 1825, described it as "matter 
of rejoicing that the popular sentiment in our churches now 
very generally harmonizes with the objects of the society." 
After re-stating certain principles with respect to the ministry 
which have ever been dear to the denomination, and express- 
ing the hope that " they will ever be held by the churches 
dearer than life," the report adds that "in general they now 



b NEWTOX THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

esteem learning a very important qualification for him whose 
business it is rightly to divide the word of truth, and to feed 
the churches with knowledge and understanding." The so- 
ciety had at that time twenty-one beneficiaries, sixteen of 
whom were " pursuing a collegiate course, and five engaged 
in English and theological studies." Up to that time the 
number of beneficiaries had been sixty-five. In that report 
suitable notice was taken of the decease of the Rev. Dr. 
Baldwin, who had been the presiding officer of the society, 
by annual election, during the whole period of its existence, 
and also the Chairman of its Executive Committee. A por- 
tion of the document was devoted to statements of the action 
of the Executive Committee with respect to the establish- 
ment of a Theological Institution. One paragraph belongs 
appropriately to this narrative. 

"Besides attending to the ordinary duties, the past year, 
your Committee have, in compliance with the recommenda- 
tion of a large meeting of ministers and other brethren con- 
vened in Boston, May 25, 1825, taken into consideration the 
establishment of a . Theological Seminary in the vicinity of 
Boston. This measure has for many years been in contem- 
plation. Your Committee are now convinced that the time 
has arrived to build this part of the Lord's house. Although 
attempts have been made to establish Theological depart- 
ments in connection with two of our Colleges, and some 
success has attended them, yet your Committee are of opin- 
ion that a Theological Institution established by itself alone, 
where the combined powers of two or three or more men of 
experience, and men of God, can be employed in instructing 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



and forming the manners and habits and character of pious 
young men for the work of the ministry, is greatly to be 
preferred. They have therefore appointed two sub-com- 
mittees, one to draw up a general plan for an Institution, and 
inquire concerning a suitable place for its location, and the 
other to solicit donations and subscriptions, both which have 
made some progress. The Committee are well aware that 
the step they are about to take is a very important one. 
The work before them involves great responsibilities. What- 
ever is done in relation to this Institution will have a bearing 
upon the great interests of the Kedeemer's kingdom, and 
especially upon the denomination with which we stand con- 
nected." 

Many of the conferences upon this subject were informal, 
and of their sayings and doings no written records were pre- 
served. Therefore, as the principal actors have passed from 
among the living, it has been difficult to collect all the facts 
desirable to be registered in permanent history. It is certain, 
however, that the formation of the Massachusetts Baptist 
Education Society was the beginning of a movement that, 
eleven years afterwards, culminated in specific action. That 
society may therefore be regarded as the mother of the New- 
ton Theological Institution. Besides, it is known that the 
importance of such a Seminary was for several years the 
subject of thought in a few minds, and of some correspond- 
ence between those who wished to see the undertaking inaug- 
urated. They had no plan ; the idea floated indefinitely in 
their minds ; but it was a favorite idea, and was never dis- 
missed as a thing impracticable. The Seminary at Andover, 



5 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

recently opened and munificently patronized, was before them, 
not as a model of what they desired, but as suggestive of 
something that might meet a felt necessity. It was contem- 
plated as a thing of the future, and towards which their steps 
must be directed. Among those who thought, and felt, and 
conversed, and prayed, with reference to it, were such men 
of God as Thomas Baldwin, Joseph Grafton, Jeremiah Chap- 
lin, James M. Winchell, Abisha Samson, Lucius Bolles, 
William Batchelcler, Charles Train, Ebenezer Nelson, sen., 
Daniel Sharp, Herman Lincoln, Ensign Lincoln, Elisha S. 
Williams, Elijah Corey, Nathaniel W. Williams, Michael 
Shepard. Several brethren in other Associations were more 
or less interested, and looking forward to the same result. 
As the idea became more definite, and the project began to 
assume a practical shape, numerous others, both ministers 
and laymen, became interested and earnestly co-operated 
with their older brethren — such as Bela Jacobs, Henry Jack- 
son, Jonathan Going, Francis Way land, jr., Jonathan Bach- 
eller, Nathaniel R. Cobb, Thomas Kendall, John B. Jones, 
Levi Far well, several of whom, in due time, became distin- 
guished as friends and generous supporters of the enterprise. 
Not long after the formation of the Massachusetts Baptist 
Education Society, the Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, of Danvers, 
a man of strong powers of mind and good literary and theo- 
logical attainments, was induced to receive under his instruc- 
tion such young men as were approved by the Executive 
Committee, and as could not prosecute an extended course 
of study. This arrangement resulted in a school that was in 
1817 removed to Waterville, Maine, and in 1820, there 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. V 

erected into a college, with Dr. Chaplin as its President. 
The original design was to have in that College a Theological 
Department ; bnt it soon became apparent that the plan was 
inconvenient, if not impracticable, and the experiment foiled, 
as, about the same time, a similar and more imposing plan 
had failed in the Columbian College at Washington. Atten- 
tion was then turned, with fresh earnestness, to the consider- 
ation of a project for the opening of a separate and indepen- 
dent Seminary, in some eligible location, where it might be 
easily accessible, and be surrounded b} r churches that would 
be sufficiently interested in its object and welfare to give it 
pecuniary support. The denomination was not yet strong 
enough in men of intelligence and wealth to justify an effort 
on a large scale. The beginning must necessarily be small; 
but men of faith and hope felt that the beginning should not 
longer be delayed. They would do what they could by laying 
a foundation on which their successors might build, and thus 
gradually make the school such as the growing wants of the 
churches might demand. They had no experience in such 
an enterprise ; they had no precedent as a guide ; but they 
understood what was needed, and were disposed to do their 
best towards furnishing a supply. 

On the 25th of May, 1825, during the anniversaries in 
Boston, a large meeting was held in the vestry of the First 
Baptist Church to consider the question of immediate action. 
Of the proceedings of that meeting we have no record ; but 
we know that, after a free and harmonious interchange of 
views, it was resolved that an effort ought to be made to 
provide a Seminary for Theological education, and the 



10 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

Executive Committee of the Education Society was requested 
to take initiatory steps towards the accomplishment of the 
object. 

That Committee proceeded at once to carry into execution 
the wishes of their brethren, thus earnestly and unanimously 
expressed. The Kev. Irah Chase having resigned his posi- 
tion at Washington as Professor of Languages and Biblical 
Literature in the Columbian College, was provisionally ap- 
pointed Professor of Biblical Theology. A site was pur- 
chased in the town of Xewton, about eight miles from 
Boston, containing eighty-five acres, on elevated ground and 
commanding one of the most delightful prospects in eastern 
Massachusetts. Upon the summit of the hill was a large 
dwelling-house with other buildings, adapted to a genteel 
country residence. The main edifice, ever since known as 
the " Mansion House," was of sufficient capacity for all the 
immediate purposes of the Institution. The whole property, 
with a good title, was purchased for $4,250, a sum consider- 
ably less than would have been required for the erection of 
the buildings as they then existed. The necessary alterations 
in the Mansion House were immediately made at an expense 
of $3,748, thus rendering the original cost of the premises 
$7,998. This amount was procured by subscription as fol- 
lows : — 

N. R. Cobb $1,070 

Levi Farwell ..... 1,070 

Jonathan Bacheller .... 1,070 

John B. Jones ..... 500 



Amount carried forward . . . §3,710 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



11 



Amount brought forward 


. $3,710 


Ward Jackson 


500 


Pieman Lincoln 


500 


Elijah Corey 


400 


Jonathan Carleton . 


300 


Ichabod Macomber 


250 


Ensign Lincoln 


250 


John Sullivan 


200 


Others, in various sums 


1,888 



$7,998 



That property was known as the "Peck Estate." At 
a later period, a small tract, called the " King Estate," was 
purchased and added to the property of the Institution. 

Professor Chase commenced alone the work of instruction, 
November 28, 1825. 

On the 2 2d of February, 1826, an act to incorporate the 
Newton Theological Institution having passed both Houses 
of the General Court of Massachusetts, received the approval 
and signature of his Excellency the Governor, Levi Lincoln. 
In this act, eleven individuals were named as Trustees, and 
it was ordained that the number of Trustees should " never 
exceed twenty-five, nor be less than nine." They might 
hold property, real and personal, to any extent, " provided 
the annual income of the same shall not exceed twenty 
thousand dollars." 

The first meeting of the Trustees, thus invested with the 
necessary powers as a body corporate, was held in Boston, 
March 13, 1826, at the house of the Kev. Dr. Sharp, when 
the act of incorporation was formally accepted, and the 



12 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION, 

Board commenced its labors. A Professorship of Biblical 
Theology was then established, and the Rev. Irah Chase was 
unanimously elected the Professor. 

At the next meeting, held Ma}- 30, 1826, Professor 
Chase, from a Committee previously appointed to prepare a 
Code of Rules and Regulations for the government of the 
Institution, made a report which was adopted. Among 
other things it was provided, that — 

"The regular course shall occupy three years, and em- 
brace Biblical Literature, Ecclesiastical History, Biblical 
Theology, Pastoral Duties, and, in short, the various studies 
and exercises appropriate to a Theological Institution designed 
to assist those who avouIc! understand the Bible clearly, and, 
as faithful ministers of Christ, inculcate its lessons the most 
usefully." 

The next meeting was held at Xewton, September 14, 
1826, when a Professorship of Biblical Literature and Pas- 
toral Duties was established, and the Rev. Henry J. Ripley, 
of Riceborough, Georgia, was unanimously elected the Pro- 
fessor. On the same day was held the first anniversary of 
the Institution. The small company attending was easily 
accommodated in a recitation-room in the Mansion House. 
Two individuals — John E. TTeston and Eli B. Smith — read 
essays, and received the Professor's certificate of graduation. 
Their course at Xewton was short, for they had both been 
connected with other Institutions — the former under the 
instruction of Prof. Chase in the Theological Department of 
the Columbian College — the latter at Andover. The next 
class in regular course graduated in 1828, and consisted of 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 13 

four, viz., George Leonard, Thomas W. Merrill, Barnas 
Sears, and Seth S. Whitman. 

As the number of students increased, it became necessary 
to make further provision for their accommodation, and 
accordingly, in 1827, a committee was appointed to devise a 
plan for a new building, and also to procure the means for 
defraying the expense. In 1829, the Treasurer reported 
that such a building had been erected and paid for by sub- 
scriptions collected, at an expense of $10,594.12. Towards 
this amount the Hon. Nicholas Brown, of Providence, gave 
$4,000, and the Treasurer himself was a liberal subscriber. 
The "Brick Building" is eighty-live feet in length, forty- 
nine feet in breadth, three stories in height, and contains 
thirty-six rooms, some of which were till recently occupied 
by the Library, and a Eeading Eoom called the ".Far well 
Athenaeum." 

At the annual meeting of the Board, September 13, 1832, 
the Professorship held by Professor Ripley was divided, 
and the Eev. James D. Knovvles, pastor of the Second Bap- 
tist Church in Boston, was unanimously elected Professor of 
Pastoral Duties, and, on the 14th of November following, he 
was inaugurated by public services. That office he held four 
years, when he resigned that he might become the editor of 
the "Christian Review." His resignation was accepted, but 
the Board requested him to continue his services as Professor 
pro tern, of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties until a suc- 
cessor could be elected. This he did until his death in May, 
1838. 

October 12, 1835, the Rev. Barnas Sears was elected Pro- 



14 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

fessor of Christian Theology. August 5, 1839, the Rev. 
Horatio B. Haekett was elected Professor of Biblical Litera- 
ture and Interpretation. Thus the four Professorships were 
full, as follows : — 

Irah Chase, Professor of Ecclesiastical History. 

Henry J. Ripley, Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pas- 
toral Duties. 

Barxas Sears, Professor of Christian Theology. 

Horatio B. Hackett, Professor of Biblical Literature and 
Interpretation. 

In compliance with an application from the Board of 
Trustees, the General Court of Massachusetts passed an Act 
so altering the Charter of the Institution as to give the Board 
power to increase its own number from twenty-five to forty- 
eight ; also authorizing the Board to allow some other body 
or bodies to elect a portion of its members. These changes 
were requested, partly to relieve the Board of the odium 
attached to a " close corporation," and partly in the hope 
of aAvakening a more general interest in the Institution, by 
giving it a more popular form of government. This " Act in 
addition to an Act" was formally accepted, and the Board, 
after increasing its number to the full limit, proceeded to 
divide itself into four classes of twelve each, one class to go 
out of office every year, and their places to be supplied by 
election, six by the Board of Trustees, and six by the 
Northern Baptist Education Society. This arrangement was 
harmoniously carried into effect in 1854, and has been con- 
tinued to the present time. How much benefit has accrued 
from it to the Institution it would be difficult to say. The 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 15 

conviction, however, was soon produced that it would be 
inconvenient for so large a body to meet as often as the 
business demanding its attention might require, and pro- 
vision was made, in 1854, for the annual election of an 
Executive Committee of six, afterwards increased to eight, 
who with the Treasurer were intrusted with the full powers 
of the Board during the intervals between its meetings, and 
required to report their doings annually to the Board for 
revision and confirmation. This system has thus far worked 
well, and as yet, in twelve years, no act of the Executive 
Committee has been repudiated or even criticised. 

While this process of change in the constitution of the 
Board of Trustees was going on, another of still greater im- 
portance was effective in the gathering of resources for the 
support of the Institution. An effort to raise a permanent 
fund of $50,000 having failed, it was resolved to make an 
attempt to collect $100,000, as better suited to meet the 
necessities of the Institution, and more likely, therefore, to 
insure the liberality of intelligent donors. For this purpose, 
the services of the Eev. Horace T. Love were secured as 
agent, and, in 1854, he reported subscriptions to the amount 
of $117,298.38. Of these the Treasurer, in 1864, reported 
as collected the sum of $100,390.51. Of this amount $10,- 
000 were set apart as a fund, the income to be expended for 
the increase of the Library. The income of the remainder 
was devoted to the general purposes of the Institution. 

At one period, when the resources of the Board were too 
limited to meet its necessary expenditures, some portions of 
the land were sold for house lots. But the estate is still 



16 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

eighty acres, with the Institution buildings thereon. Among 
these buildings are two professors' houses, erected by sub- 
scription, in 1834, at a cost of $3,330 each. Subsequently 
a third house was built, at an expense of about $3,500 ; but 
it has since been sold. 

Three scholarships have been established of $1,000 each, 
as follows : — 

1. The Knowles Scholarship, founded by the Boston Young 
Men's Education Society; present value, $1,833. 

2. The Read Scholarship, founded by James H. Read, 
Esq., of Providence ; present value, $2,010. 

3. The Davis Scholarship, founded by the Hon. Isaac Da- 
vis, of Worcester; present value, $1,000. 

In addition to the other resources are the following special 
funds : -■ — 

The Tripp fund of $1,000, bequeathed by Susan Tripp, of 
New Bedford, the income of which is dispensed by the Fac- 
ulty to aid poor students. 

The Ripley fund of $500, bequeathed by Mrs. Abigail 
Ripley, of Boston, for the same purpose. 

The Fenelly fund, consisting of a house and land in Bos- 
ton, bequeathed by Mrs. Elizabeth F. Gurney, of Boston ; 
estimated value $8,000, one half of the annual income to be 
paid to the Boston Fatherless and Widows' Society. 

The largest amount given by will, was of certain real 
estate in Boston, by Misses Catharine and Elizabeth Doubt, 
of Boston, which was sold for $14,575, and, as the income 
of the bequest was for general purposes, the avails were in- 
cluded in the permanent fund of $100,000. 

The Institution has had in its financial affairs a varied 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 17 

fortune. In 1835, it was free from debt, and was in funds 
$6,000. In 1852, it was in debt $16,000. It is now with- 
out debt, and has the resources above named. Its finances 
have been managed by the Treasurer with extraordinary skill 
that has commanded the admiration and repeated acknowl- 
edgments of the Board, and given full satisfaction to the 
patrons. 

A few individuals have kindly remembered the Institution 
in their wills ; but the number has been less, and the amounts 
bequeathed have been smaller, than those have hoped who 
have had the oversight of its interests. To place the Insti- 
tution on a firm basis, and provide for it an adequate support, 
it needs a large addition to its endowment. For many years 
it had to depend mainly on occasional and precarious sub- 
scriptions to meet its current expenses ; and even now its 
income is insufficient, and special efforts have to be made to 
raise funds in order .to do justice to all concerned without 
incurring a debt. It is therefore respectfully and earnestly 
suggested to all such as are disposing of the thousands which 
God has intrusted to their stewardship, that they consider 
and honor the claims of this Institution. Its fate is no longer 
problematical ; it is destined to live and do great good. But 
that it may achieve the results contemplated by its founders, 
it must have more ample resources, and these are in the hands 
of many who profess to be the friends of Christ, and to have 
consecrated to him their all. 

The salaries of the Professors were for several years $800 
each per annum. After a time, they were allowed the use 
of a house, or $250 for house-rent. As their necessities in- 



18 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

creased, and the available means of the Board would permit, 
the amount was gradually augmented until it reached the sum 
of $1,700, with the addition of a fixed sum for house-rent — 
the point at which the salaries now stand. The Board are 
anxious soon to see the day when they can enlarge the com- 
pensation of the Instructors to an extent more nearly com- 
mensurate with the value of their labors and with the expenses 
to which they are necessarily subjected. " The laborer is 
worthy of his hire," and these laborers are worthy of more 
than they receive. 

The Presidents of the Board of Trustees have been as fol- 
lows : — Rev. Joseph Grafton, from 1826 to 1835, when, on 
account of advanced years, he resigned ; Rev. Daniel Sharp, 
D.D., from 1835, until his death, June 23, 1853; Rev. 
Alexis Caswell, D.D., from 1853 to 1854, when he was 
unanimously re-elected, but declined ; Rev. Baron Stow, 
D.D., from 1854 to the present time. 

The Secretaries of the Board have been : — Rev. Francis 
Wayland, jr., D.D., from 1826 to 1827; Rev. James D. 
Knowles, from 1827 to 1832 ; Rev. Henry. Jackson, D.D., 
from 1832 to 1837; Caleb Parker, jr., Esq., from 1837 to 
1854; Rev. George W. Bosworth, D.D., from 1854 to the 
present time. 

The Treasurers of the Board have been : — Levi Farwell, 
Esq., from 1826 to 1844; Gardner Colby, Esq., from 1844 
to the present time. 

The present Professors are — 

Rev. Horatio B. Hackett, D.D., of Biblical Literature 
and Interpretation; Rev. Alvah Hovey, D.D., of Chris- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 19 

tian Theology ; Rev. George D. B. Pepper, of Church His- 
tory ; Rev. Galusha Anderson, D.D., of Sacred Rhetoric 
and Pastoral Duties. 

The other Professors, elected at different periods, and not 
already mentioned in this sketch, were Rev. Robert E. Patti- 
son, D.D., Professor of Christian Theology; Rev. Albert 
N. Arnold, D.D., Professor of Church History; Rev. Ar- 
thur S. Train, D.D., Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pas- 
toral Duties. 

As the number of students was increasing, and also the 
number of volumes in the Library ; and as a better chapel 
and more suitable lecture-rooms became necessary, a sub- 
scription of $30,000 was obtained, and in 1863, a Committee, 
consisting of Messrs. Gardner Colby, J. Warren Merrill, 
Thomas Mckerson, and George S. Dexter, was appointed to 
erect a new building according to a plan furnished by Alex- 
ander R. Esty, Esq., of Boston, and unanimously approved 
by the Board of Trustees. 

The corner-stone was laid, June 29, 1864, with appropriate 
religious services, in which the Rev. Drs. Irah Chase, H. J. 
Ripley, Barnas Sears, H. B. Hackett, R. E. Pattison, and 
A. N. Arnold, participated. After protracted and vexatious 
interruptions, for which the Building Committee were not 
responsible, the edifice was completed in a form and style 
every way creditable to the Committee, as well as to Messrs. 
A. R. Esty, the aichitect; David H. Jacobs, the mason; 
George W. Cole, the carpenter, and William A. Roffe, the 
painter. Owing to the increased expense of labor and ma- 
terials, the cost of the structure exceeded the first estimate 



20 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

by about $10,000, which sum was obtained by an additional 
subscription. 

The design of the building was made with special regard 
to the beautiful spot upon which it was to be located, just 
westerly from the brick building erected in 1828-9. It is 
somewhat irregular in shape, the main portion having an ex- 
treme western frontage of seventy-four feet, and measuring 
forty-two feet from west to east. It is finished in two stories, 
the lower being fourteen feet in the clear, the upper thirteen 
feet in the clear. The walls are thirty-three feet from grade 
line to the eaves, and crowned with a "Mansard roof." The 
tower, sixteen and a half feet square, is located upon the 
north-western angle, finished with its first two stories the 
same in height as the main part, and carried above said main 
part in octagonal form, and surmounted with a spire, making 
the entire height of eighty-five feet. The first story is ar- 
ranged with hall (and entrance) iu the centre, fourteen feet 
six inches wide, with an opening upon the right-hand side 
leading to the Chapel, which has accommodation for twelve 
persons, and also liberal arrangements for platforms, and a 
private entrance for the Professors. This room is finished 
with panelled ceiling, and is most desirably located in the 
southern portion of the edifice, well lighted, with ample con- 
veniences for heating and ventilation, and is every way 
adapted to its intended purpose. In the tower is a pleasant 
Reception-Rooui, fourteen feet square ; and just beyond, and 
opening from the hall, is the Reading-Room, twenty-six by 
twenty feet, fitted up wdth all the conveniences requisite to 
make the same attractive and agreeable. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 21 

The staircase, which is of most liberal dimensions, gives an 
easy ascent to the second story floor. Upon this area are 
three lecture-rooms, each twenty-six by twenty feet, with an 
ante or professor's room. The lecture-rooms have each 
accommodations for fifty students, and are well ventilated. 
The ante-room is fitted up with cabinets and shelves. 

The stairway continues to the attic story, which (as yet 
unfinished) is of sufficient height and size to admit of an 
arrangement of rooms similar to those of the second story. 

The entrance to the library is from the rear of the main 
hall, and that apartment is imposing to the eye, being fin- 
ished twenty feet high in the clear, and cruciform in outline 
with extreme arms fifty feet in length. This portion forms 
one of the most attractive features of the edifice. The entire 
walls are lined with book-cases two stories high, having an 
iron balcony, with easy stairs to reach the upper story. Be- 
tween the top of the line of book-cases and the ceiling, space 
is left where pictures may be hung in a good light. The 
ceiling is of chestnut panels with heavy mouldings and 
cornices, the body of the panel being painted light blue. 
The interior of the library is illuminated wholly through sky- 
lights in the ceiling, and the whole effect is most pleasing. 
The form is such that the number of fifty thousand volumes 
can be well taken care of by means of alcoves extending from 
the various walls and angles. 

The body surface of the walls of the edifice is constructed 
of Newton stone found near the premises, while the base and 
string courses, stone of arched windows, and for the eaves 
cornices entire, and for the corners, are of Nova-Scotia stone, 



22 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

generally known as the Cumberland Bay sand-stone, giving at 
once pleasing architectural effects by the happy contrast of 
the two materials. 

The entrance doorway with the window over it, has well- 
carved columns and arched stones. 

The roofs finished with slate and tin, with copper gutters 
to the same, make a most perfect covering. 

The interior of all the several parts is finished in natural 
wood colors, chestnut being used for the same and also for 
all the doors. There is no painted work about the structure 
except the window frames outside. 

The whole building, both external and internal, is con- 
structed in the most thorough and durable manner, worthy 
of the purposes for which it is used ; and it may safely be 
said that, considering the outlay, it is equal, if not superior 
in architectural merit, to any edifice in the country ; and is 
such, in every respect, as must be gratifying to the many 
friends of the Institution. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 25 

At the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees, June 27, 
1866, a committee consisting of the President, the Treasurer, 
the Kev. Drs. A. Caswell, and S. R. Mason, and the Hon. 
J. W. Merrill, was appointed to make arrangements for the 
dedication of the new edifice by suitable religious and literary 
services. That Committee provided that the time for the 
dedication should be at the commencement of the academical 
year. Accordingly, on Monday, September 10, 1866, the 
Board of Trustees, the Faculty, the students, and a large 
number of the friends of the Institution assembled for the 
purpose in the new building. The following was the 

ORDER OF SERVICES. 

PRAYER. 

BY REV. WILLIAM LAMSON, D.D., OF BROOKLINE. 



HYMN. 
BY EEV. JAMES D. KNOWLES. (Adapted.) 

O God, though countless worlds of light 

Thy power and glory show, — 
Though round Thy throne, above all height, 

Immortal seraphs glow ; — 

Yet oft to men of ancient time 

Thy glorious Presence came, 
And in Moriah's fane sublime, 

Thou didst record Thy Name. 



26 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION, 

And now, where'er Thy saints apart 
Are met for praise and prayer, 

Wherever sighs a contrite heart, 
Thou, gracious God, art there. 

With grateful joy, Thy servants rear 
This building, Lord, for Thee ; 

Long may Thy truth be honored here, 
And all Thy glory see. 



STATEMENT 

BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE, AND DELIVERY OF THE 
KEYS TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD. 



DELIVERY OF THE KEYS 

TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FACULTY, AND AN ADDRESS, BY THE PRESIDENT. 

ADDRESS. 

BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 

PRAYER OF DEDICATION. 

BY REV. WILLIAM HAGUE, D.D., OF BOSTON. 



ORDER OF SERVICES. 27 



HYMN. 



BY REV. S. F. SMITH, D.D., OF NEWTON. 

Built on the Rock of Ages, Lord, 
Thy living Church abides secure ; 

Nations and men may fade away, 
Thy work of grace shall still endure. 

This temple, to Thine honor reared, 

Waits for Thy crowning presence now ; 

Accept the work our hands have wrought ; 
We are but dust, — Almighty Thou. 

Here men of God shall speak Thy praise ; 

Treasures of thought be gathered here ; 
And truth, from living lips dispensed, 

Fall, welcome, on the listening ear. 

With humble faith, with holy joy, 
We lay our gift before Thy face ; 

'Tis dark, — but for Thy radiant light ; 
'Tis poor, — but for Thy heavenly Grace, 

Then let Thy glorious presence, Lord, 

O'er all the hallowed work appear ; 

And let the living record stand ; — 

The place is holy, — God is here. 
4 



28 NEWTOX THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

DOXOLOGY. 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ; 
Praise Him, all creatures here below ; 
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ; 
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



BENEDICTION. 

BY REV. A. CASWELL, D.D., OF PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



Immediately after these services, a meeting of the Board 
of Trustees, duly called, was held, and a Committee, con- 
sisting of the President, the Secretary, and the Rev. Hemar 
Lincoln, D.D., was appointed to publish the proceedings, 
together with the Addresses. In the execution of their 
trust, the Committee, after consultation with others, decided 
to add to their duties the preparation and issue of the forego- 
ing Historical Sketch of the Institution, and of the process by 
which their predecessors were led to its establishment. The 
reasons for such action will be obvious to all the patrons and 
friends of the Institution. The work could have been better 
done a few years earlier, when the founders were living, for 
they could have furnished from their memories many particu- 
lars which are now irrecoverably lost. 



STATEMENT 

B Y 

GARDNER COLBY, ESQ., 
treasurer, and chairman of the building committee. 

Mr. President, — 

It devolves upon me, as Chairman of the Building Com- 
mittee, to present to the Trustees the keys of this building. 

I shall not attempt, on this occasion, to make any extended 
remarks. 

Your Committee have now finished the work assigned them, 
in accordance with the plans and specifications adopted unani- 
mously by the Trustees. 

Some delays have occurred in its construction, but they 
have been owing to circumstances entirely beyond their con- 
trol. 

It was thought, at the outset, that the expenses would not 
exceed the sum of thirty thousand dollars. This amount was 
subscribed at the time, and has since been collected. Owing, 
however, to the increased price of building materials and 
labor, your Committee found that ten thousand dollars more 



30 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

would be required. I am happy to say that this amount has 
been all subscribed, and Ave offer you the building to-day 
free from debt. 

Your Committee desire to express their satisfaction with 
A. R. Esty, Esq., the Architect; also, with Mr. George W. 
Cole, the Carpenter, D. II . Jacobs, of Boston, the Mason, 
and Wm. A. Roffe, the Painter. 

They trust that the building, in its construction, in its gen- 
eral appearance, and in its adaptation to the purposes for 
which it was designed, will receive the approbation of the 
Trustees, of those who have contributed, and of all the 
friends of this Institution. 

To you, therefore, Mr. President, the representative of 
the Newton Theological Institution, I have the honor to pre- 
sent these keys. 

May this edifice ever contribute to the great and noble end 
of educating young men for the Christian ministry. 



£3 



eg 






5 




is? 



e 



s 




•7 

ADDRESS 

BY 

KEY. BARON STOW, D.D., 

PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OP TRUSTEES, AND CHAIRMAN OF THE 
COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. 

In behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Newton Theo- 
logical Institution, I am happy, my clear brother, to transfer 
to yoa, as Chairman of the Faculty, this cluster of keys. 
They are not " the keys of the kingdom of heaven" We 
hold them not, we pass them not to you, as emblems of any 
spiritual authority. One is our Master, even Christ, and all 
we are brethren. These are simply the keys of an edifice in 
which you and your associates, and, we hope, a long line 
of successors, will teach whatever our common Lord has 
revealed respecting that kingdom which is not of this world. 
We have confidence in you all as able and faithful instructors 
in the profound lessons of that volume which contains " the 
law and the testimony ," all "given by inspiration of God, and 
prof table J or doctrine, for reproof , for correction, for instruc- 
tion in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." We therefore 



32 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

intrust this building to your occupancy and use, as affording 
desirable facilities for the more comfortable and more efficient 
prosecution of your important work. We dedicate the whole 
structure to him whose prerogative it is to select and 
appoint and spiritually qualify his own ministers, and we 
expect that its various apartments, so admirably arranged 
and adjusted, will be employed by the Faculty of Instruction 
and Government in the proper training of his chosen ones 
for effective service in " the ministry of reconciliation.'" 
Receive these keys from your confiding brethren, that you 
may open and shut at your convenience. 

In saying more, I must not trespass upon ground or time 
that belongs appropriately to the principal speaker ; but, as 
urgently requested by the Committee of Arrangements, I 
venture to extend my remarks and communicate some 
thoughts which may not be regarded as impertinent to the 
occasion. 

The history of the Institution, though covering a period 
not very extended, has some points of interest. Its principal 
founders have all passed from their service to their reward. 
Could they be present to-day, we have no greater joy than 
would be theirs in witnessing this new proof that their suc- 
cessors are building well upon foundations which they laid in 
prayer and sacrifice. They were few in number; but they 
were large-hearted, and acted in the spirit of loyalty to Christ, 
and with intelligent views of what the well-being of their de- 
nomination required — " Children of Issachar — men that 
had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to 



ADDRESS BY REV. BARON STOW, D.D. 33 

do." They devised benevolently, liberally, not only for their 
own generation, but for posterity, and after more than forty 
years their forecast and generosity are appreciated beyond 
their largest anticipations. 

In whose mind the idea of such a Seminary first origi- 
nated, or who first proposed to make it practical, I have never 
learned ; and, though I was familiar with them all, I never 
heard one of them claim it as his own, or speak of it as 
belonging to another. It was manifestly an idea of the 
period, developed simultaneously in several minds under the 
pressure of similar convictions, and the honor, not then 
thought of, we now accredit impartially to a select number 
" whose names are in the Book of Life" Men of God — we 
revere their memories. Their record is a sacred deposit in 
the custody of the present generation, to be transmitted along 
the future. Happy the age that shall produce a group of 
equal excellence ! They understood what was especially 
needed, and put their hearts and hands together, without 
rivalry or jealousy, to provide the supply. They naturally 
had indefinite conceptions of what the Institution should be 
in detail, for they had no experience, no satisfactory prece- 
dent, in that line ; but they had distinctly in mind the gen- 
eral idea, that candidates for the sacred office — the ministry 
of the future — must have a more thorough intellectual prep- 
aration for their work than w T as attainable by any existing 
methods. They had no theory that restricted our mission to 
any particular stratum in the social pyramid, and that, conse- 
quently, a Baptist Theological Seminary recognizing a more 
extended service, would be a gratuitous superfluity. They 



34 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL IXSTITUTIOX. 

were fully convinced that if we, as a separate people, were to 
grow and become effective in the execution of our special 
trust, we must have a ministry of advanced culture, qualified 
to be leaders in a progressive age. They put no narrow 
interpretation upon the great commission, " Go ye, therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded 
you." Hardly did they understand their Master as having 
bidden his servants to evangelize an intermediate class in all 
nations, leaving to others the spiritual care of the underlying 
and the superincumbent gradations. There were no others, 
He made provision for no others, to do the lower and the 
higher work. To his own people he opened " all the world," 
including " every creature," as their field, and committed to 
them a service, unlimited in its range, and involving respon- 
sibility with respect to man as a race in all his classifications, 
national, intellectual, and moral. The men of whom I 
speak regarded the work intrusted to the primitive churches 
as the appropriate work of their successors, to the end of 
time ; and, having a service of such breadth and comprehen- 
siveness, they reasoned rightly that men would be needed for 
the whole compass of duties divinely specified ; — men who 
could fulfill all the conditions of the original, unmodified 
order : — men who could efficiently obey, not only the mathe- 
teusate and the baptizontes, but also the didaskontes of their 
commission ; — men who could not only make and baptize 
disciples everywhere and among all classes, but also be the 
qualified instructors of such disciples in all the doctrines and 



ADDRESS BY REV. BARON STOW, D.D. 



35 



duties of Christianity ; — men who could not only he volu- 
ble, but convincing; — men who could not only arouse the 
conscience, hut guide it ; — men who could not only, by 
impassioned appeals, produce temporary movements, but 
also, by patient teaching, effectuate permanent results; — 
men who could not only persuade people to believe and act, 
but also enlighten them as to what and why they should 
believe and practise. Their fathers in the ministry were 
eminently successful in the conversion of souls and in the 
organization of churches. All honor to the men who fought 
and won the battles of religious freedom, and secured for our 
principles respect as well as toleration, and made ready to 
our hands the inheritance we enjoy ; and palsied be the 
tongue that would utter the first word in their disparage- 
ment. But they wanted — and none felt the want more 
keenly or deplored it more openly than themselves — they 
lacked, without any fault of their own, the desirable ability 
to impart that instruction which would make their converts 
strong in Biblical knowledge. The founders of this Institu- 
tution believed, as we believe, that the ministry of God's 
Word is the great, the chief, appointed means, not only for 
bringing men into the churches of Christ, but also, and pre- 
eminently, for the building up in them of the saintly, the 
Christ-like, character; as the Apostle Paul has it, — "for 
the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the 
unity of the faith, and of the knoivledge of the Son of God, 
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ." The idea in their minds had not as- 
sumed a definite form, having reference chiefly to the general 



36 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL IXSTITUTION. 

result — a ministry of higher culture suited to the wants of 
their children and their children's children ; but, as in all 
their ways they acknowledged God, their paths were Provi- 
dentially directed. Just at the right moment, when the 
whole thing was in embryo, and they were anxiously consid- 
ering practical questions pertaining to organic forms, the late 
lamented Professor Irah Chase, released from other engage- 
ments, appeared among them, and with a wisdom that com- 
manded their confidence, aided them in shaping definitively 
the proposed Institution. He had a plan ; the one that gave 
form and pressure to his own life work ; a plan elaborated by 
years of patient thought ; a plan that had failed elsewhere 
because not sustained or appreciated ; a plan constructed with 
great simplicity and accuracy of adjustment around that one 
central idea which has been so justly and beautifully delin- 
eated in the Memorial Discourse on that good man's life 
and character. That central Idea — Thorough Biblical 
Instruction, not according to the Analogy of Faith, but 
according to the Laavs or Exegesis — was promptly 
accepted as the true one for a Baptist Theological Institution ; 
and, God be praised, it has never been replaced by another; 
and woe be to us as a Christian people when it shall come to 
be lightly esteemed. That Plan was adopted in all its par- 
ticulars, and has not yet been found susceptible of essential 
improvement. The enterprise was commenced, and, forty 
years ago this month, the one Professor gave certificates of 
graduation to the first class, consisting of two men of eminent 
worth and encouraging promise. 

The Institution was located, wisely, as time has shown, on 



ADDRESS BY REV, BARON STOW, D.D. 37 

these grounds, purchased and put in order at an expense of 
$7,998, and paid for mostly by eleven men.* Early in 1826, 
an act of incorporation was granted by the State Legislature, 
which named as Trustees, Joseph Grafton, Lucius Bolles, 
Daniel Sharp, Jonathan Going, Bela Jacobs, Ebenezer Nel- 
son, Francis Wayland, jr.. Henry Jackson, Ensign Lincoln, 
Jonathan Bacheller, Nathaniel E. Cobb ; and to these were 
soon after added by election, Levi Farwell, Heman Lincoln, 
Nicholas Brown, Abner Forbes, James D. Knowles. Of the 
whole sixteen only one survives. They were all good men 
and true, and their memories are among the brighter, richer 
ornaments of the denomination. 

The Eev. Joseph Grafton, of Newton Centre, was the first 
President of the Board of Trustees, the Eev. Francis Way- 
land, jr., of Boston, the first Secretary, and Levi Farwell, 
Esq., of Cambridge, the first Treasurer. Of the services 
rendered by Mr. Farwell, a recognition is due in some way 
more fitting than fugitive words. He filled the office of 
Treasurer until the time of his death — eighteen consecutive 
years — a period when the Institution was an experiment, 
and, in many minds, of doubtful success ; when it had no 
endowment, and when the funds for current expenses were 
often procured with difficulty. Many a time he stood under 
heavy burdens, sometimes bending, occasionally well nigh 
disheartened, yet giving money with a liberal hand, and 
personal service to an extent little known and imperfectly 
appreciated. After twenty-two years since his departure, it 
remains for the Board of Trustees and other friends to give 
* See Historical Sketch. 



38 



XEWTOX THEOLOGICAL IXSTITUTION. 



some significant expression of their estimate of his personal 
worth and of their gratitude for what he did to sustain the 
Institution when its wants were many and his fellow-benefac- 
tors not numerous. To his suggestion, at the close of life, 
as to a suitable successor, the Institution is indebted for the 
twenty-two years of faithful, gratuitous service of the present 
Treasurer. 

The Institution has had, with those now in office, eleven 
Professors: — Irah Chase, Henry J. Kipley, James D. 
Knowles, Barnas Sears, Horatio B. Hackett, Eobert E. 
Pattison, Alvah Hovey, Albert N. Arnold, Arthur S. 
Train, George D. B. Pepper, Galusha Anderson. Two 
of the number have finished their course, leaving a credit- 
able record. 

The number of its students, not including the new class 
just admitted, is five hundred and sixty-three. A portion 
of these enjoyed advantages less than the complete course — 
some as compelled by Providential circumstances ; others as 
withdrawn by influences to which they unwisely yielded. 

Large contributions to its funds, either by donation or by 
will, have been few. Messrs. Cobb, Farwell, and Bacheller, 
among the earlier patrons, together gave, during life and at 
death, in nearly equal sums, the aggregate of $57,150. Mi- 
chael Shepard, Elijah Corey, and Nicholas Brown, gave 
together $19,961. Others have since given generously; but 
the will has not yet gone to probate that contains the princely 
bequest ; the subscription is yet to be commenced that shall 
so enlarge the available income as to put the treasury in an 
easy condition. The Institution is free from debt, and has, 



ADDRESS BY REV. BAROK STOW, D.D. 39 

besides eighty acres of land and these buildings, a permanent 
fund of $100,000, and a few endowed scholarships. But not 
until the Library shall have been largely increased, and an 
additional building for students' rooms erected, and $100,000 
added to the endowment, can the Institution be regarded as 
suitably provided for, or as standing nearly on equality with 
kindred Institutions. The Department of Biblical Litera- 
ture and Interpretation — the fundamental Department — is 
quite too extensive for any one Professor, even for the un- 
surpassed veteran who has been twenty-seven years the faith- 
ful incumbent ; and no one who understands the matter will 
question for a moment that the interests of the Institution 
demand in that Department the services of an associate, who 
shall also be the suitable man for its future head. 

This is not a fitting occasion for appeal to the financial 
generosity of the friends of theological education. You are 
here to review the past, to rejoice over the present, and to 
welcome impressions that may induce liberal action in the 
future. You are witnesses of something accomplished ; but 
you see not all, or the half. You have not within your field 
of observation the hundreds of men who have gone forth from 
this hill with the treasured results of sound instruction and 
healthful discipline, and have blessed this land and other 
lands with good seed sown and bountiful harvests gathered. 
Not being an alumnus of the Institution — would that I were ! 
— I may speak on this point without embarrassment. Many, 
after serving their generation by the will of God, have en- 
tered into rest, and the records of their toils and successors 
are among the most productive investments of the Institu- 



40 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

tion. In confirmation of this, I need but mention such 
names as John E. Weston, Eli B. Smith, George Leonard, 
Jonathan Aldrich, John Taylor Jones, Josiah Goddard, John 
S. Maginnis, Samuel B. Swaim, Frederick A. Willard, Wil- 
liam G. Crocker, Dura D. Pratt, Zebdial Bradford, Lemuel 
Porter, Jeremiah S. Eaton, Jotham W. Horton, and more of 
scarcely less note. Others of great worth are occupying 
important fields, and rendering service to our Zion, of which, 
but for their advantages here, they would have been far less 
capable. I might refer you for illustrations to high positions 
in Colleges and Theological Seminaries ; to pastorates in great 
moral, intellectual, and commercial centres in many States ; 
to numerous mission stations in pagan countries ; and in all 
these show you our graduates at work, making their influence 
felt in wide circles, all for God and his truth. Newton 
may point to her sons, and to the green spots redeemed by 
their fidelity from the wastes of apostate humanity, and 
confidently inquire if the results are not a satisfactory return 
for the outlay ; if the expenditure, material and mental, is 
not more than justified by the good accomplished. 

We had men who said in the beginning, and said still 
later, that the genius and polity of the denomination required 
no such instrumentality ; that it would prove a cumbrous and 
useless appendage. The comparison was to "the fifth wheel 
of a coach." Well, they were good men, with at least one 
infirmity ; and from the hills of holiness they may be looking 
down to-day, willing to correct their few mistakes, and wish 
ing their names had been enrolled as supporters of an enter- 
prise which their farther-seeing cotemporaries inaugurated in 



ADDRESS BY REV. BARON STOW, D.D. 41 

faith and prayer ; an enterprise that has largely blessed the 
churches of our faith, and had the benedictions of countless 
thousands. The false theories of needed ministerial qualifi- 
cations, which, for a time, had baneful currency, — theories 
generated in an age of reactionary processes, — now have 
few defenders, and even those few are mortified witnesses 
of the futility of their reasonings. 

The Institution has seen its periods of darkness and de- 
pression, when some of its friends were faint-hearted, and 
spoke gloomily and apprehensively of its fate. But for the 
last few years it has been emerging into light and more gen- 
eral favor. Its prospects are richly brightening. No cloud 
of dark omen hangs over it. The radiance, not of the set- 
ting, but of the rising, sun now gilds this lovely eminence. 
You who have been faithful to this seat of sacred learning in 
its times of discouragement and trial, have now but to perse- 
vere in well-doing ; and, as some have seen their auguries of 
evil falsified, and others have had their fears dispelled, so 
you are entering upon a large realization of your hopes. 

God bless the Newton Theological Institution. 



/ 

ADDRESS 

BY 

REV. ALYAH HOVEY, D.D., 
professor of christian theology. 

Mr. President, — 

In behalf of the Faculty I receive from your hand the keys 
of this building, and accept the trust which is signified by 
such an act. It is, indeed, a grave and high trust : may the 
Master whom we serve enable us to keep it to the honor of 
his name, by teaching his most holy truth. To us this is an 
auspicious day, and I only regret that my distinguished col- 
league, the senior Professor in this Institution, found it neces- 
sary to decline standing in this place and responding, with an 
eloquence natural to him but impossible to me, to the words 
which you have just spoken. But notwithstanding this re- 
gret, which I share, though in larger measure, with every one 
present, I rejoice in this hour, and congratulate the donors, 
the Building Committee, the Trustees, the members, and the 
friends of the Institution, on the completion of an edifice so 
long desired, so commodious and substantial. Compared 
with the public rooms which we have occupied hitherto, 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 43 

those opened to us here fill the eye like halls of a palace, and 
viewed with reference to the purposes which it has been 
erected to serve, this building is unsurpassed by any that I 
have seen. You have been pleased, sir, to remind us of the 
past, of the origin and history of this school, of the charac- 
ter and labors of some who have been connected with it either 
as founders, as benefactors, as teachers, or as students ; per- 
mit me to look into the future, and say a word in respect to 
the work and importance of theological education, as under- 
stood by us whom you have entrusted with the keys of this 
new building. What and how precious is the gem which you 
have honored with so costly a setting? What is to be done, 
by the blessing of God, in this Seminary, for young men who 
are to be leaders of the church of Christ ? In replying to 
this question, I shall put aside all " criminal modesty," and 
utter freely the sentiments of my heart. These sentiments 
may be naturally associated with the chief apartments of 
this building, and by virtue of such a connection hold 
their place, for a time, in memories already charged with 
profitable thought. 

As one turns his eye reluctantly from the beautiful pros- 
pect without, and enters within these walls, the first apart- 
ment at his right is a Chapel, where officers and students will 
meet together for the worship of God. Morning and even- 
ing, from month to month and year to year, will the incense 
of humble prayer and holy song ascend to the Most High 
from that sacred place. There shall we present ourselves 
daily before the Lord, to acknowledge his infinite mercy, and 
to crave his blessing upon our work. Bowing there in our 



44 XETTTOX THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

darkness, heaven will be near to give ns light. Bowing 
there in our weakness, heaven will stoop to imbue us with 
strength. Full well we know that piety, true and healthful, 
gives heart and hope, vigor and success, to the student as 
well as to the preacher. Without it the Bible is dark, and 
the world a riddle : with it, the Word of God is clear and 
full as a mountain lake, and the nations of the earth a wav- 
ing harvest ready for the reapers. Hence, there is no room 
in this building which will be more highly prized than the 
chapel ; no spot in it which will be remembered with livelier 
gratitude by the long succession of faithful men who will come 
up to this place for sacred study, and go forth from it into 
the great field of labor. Bene orasse, bene studuisse ; yet I 
need not consume your time by describing the influence of 
habitual worship upon growth in grace, or of growth in grace 
upon usefulness in the ministry ; for thus far, at least, we are 
all of one mind and free from doubt. 

But while the chapel speaks of communion with God, the 
Reading-room opposite speaks of intercourse with men. Elec- 
tric wires, encircling the globe, will report to us in that room, 
through the daily and weekly press, the progress of human 
events, the ravages of sin and the triumphs of grace, the 
hopes and fears and perturbations of living hearts in every 
nation under heaven ; and this report will kindle in our souls 
a deeper and broader sympathy with mankind. The mem- 
bers of this Seminary will therefore be in the world, if not 
of it : they will hear its many-toned voices, and be touched 
by its mute appeals ; they will see the lights and shadows 
that pass over Christendom, will note the signs of the times 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 45 

with reference to the spread of truth, and will watch the ad- 
vancing banners of their King in the distant east and balmy 
south and golden west. Karely, if ever, will they 

" The livelong day consume in meditation deep, 
Recluse from human converse ; " 

for this is no hermitage ; this consecrated height quivers per- 
petually with the pulse-throbs of a moving world ; and never, 
I am sure, will students who have access to that reading-room 
be justly accused of indifference to the great questions which 
agitate society, affecting the honor of Christ and the welfare 
of men. 

Going up into the second story, an observer will find three 
spacious Lecture-rooms. In one of these the Interpretation of 
Scripture will be taught, and so long as the present officer 
has charge of this work, — et series in caelum redeatf — it 
will be done with pre-eminent skill, enthusiasm, and success. 
By Scripture, I mean the Hebrew and Greek records penned 
"by holy men of old, who" wrote — for I may change a 
word without changing the sense — " as they were moved by 
the Holy Ghost." And when we bear in mind the peculiar 
character of these records ; their many writers living in dif- 
ferent ages and scenes; their varieties of style — narrative, 
preceptive, argumentative, hortatory, poetic, prophetic ; their 
interdependence and unity of aim in making known the mind 
of God, with their freedom of spirit, boldness of speech, and 
regard to present effect in addressing men ; when, too, we 
bear in mind the stores of knowledge which have been ac- 
cumulated during the last fifty years in respect to places, per- 



46 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

sons, usages, and opinions mentioned in the Bible, and the 
almost marvellous industry and genius which have been 
brought to bear on the sacred languages, revealing more 
clearly their beauty and power; when, further, we bear in 
mind that the best commentaries are, and always must be, 
founded on the original text, so that half their value is lost to 
one ignorant of that text, and at the same time remember 
that the Bible is the only source of perfect truth from which 
ministers of Christ must draw, and draw perpetually : when, 
I say, we consider these facts, it is evident, beyond a perad- 
venture, that Biblical interpretation must hold the first place 
in every wise course of study for the Christian ministry. 
The Bible, we have been told, is the religion of Protestants ; 
and if this be so in any proper sense of the words, the min- 
isters of that religion cannot know the Bible too well. Other 
things being equal, he will be most likely to approve himself 
a workman needing not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the 
word of truth, who has become acquainted with the original 
Scriptures, and has learned to detect and appreciate those 
finer shadings of thought and feeling — the atmosphere and 
aroma of every great writing — which can never be perfectly 
translated, and which give immortal youth and freshness to 
the words chosen by inspired men. 

In a second lecture-room above, an attempt will be made, 
year by year, to teach a Christian Theology ; to prove the 
Divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures, to learn 
from them the cardinal principles of the Christian religion, 
and to exhibit the relations and harmony of these principles, 
putting them in order as a system. For related truths must 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. . 47 

belong to a system. They cannot stand apart, in solitary 
grandeur, like the pillars of a ruined city ; nor can they dis- 
agree, and wage an endless war with one another ; but, by 
their very nature, they must stand together, and every one be 
stronger for the union. It is, therefore, impossible to com- 
prehend any one of them without seeing its affinity with the 
rest, and noting the points which unite it to other members 
of the system. The scriptural doctrine of regeneration, for 
instance, pre-supposes that of human depravity, with the sov- 
ereign grace of God in election, and less obviously, though 
not less really, every other truth of Christianity ; so that a 
misrepresentation of this doctrine carries with it in the end 
a perversion of all the rest. Hence it is, that good men, who 
defame systematic theology in word, honor it in action. They 
are borne along by the resistless under-current of their ra- 
tional and moral nature to seek that very knowledge which 
they profess to shun. Moreover, if I am not mistaken, the 
mightiest reaction against modern skepticism springs from a 
vivid apprehension of the Christian doctrines as related to 
one another, and forming a consistent whole. It is the policy 
of unbelief to isolate these doctrines and assail them one by 
one, now attacking miracles, then inspiration, and anon the 
deity or atonement of Christ ; it will be the wisdom of faith 
to bind them together, as a sevenfold cord which cannot be 
broken. Besides, a good knowledge of Christian theology 
will give clearness, precision, depth, and soundness, to the 
preacher's message. It will enable him to lay hold of princi- 
ples, and set them forth with effect. It will give consistency 
to his teaching, and diminish the labor of preparation for the 



48 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

pulpit. It will fit him to shun the by-paths of error, and to 
withstand the assaults of disbelief. What the world needs, 
now and always, is a theology catholic but well-defined, as 
wide-reaching and inclusive of truth as the Word of God, 
but at the same time as firm and exclusive of error as that 
Word. What it needs is not an exact interpretation and a 
lax theology, but an interpretation and theology both exact, 
both conscientious, both humble, refusing to add anything to 
or subtract anything from the sacred oracles, and uniting their 
voices to give steadiness and power to the onward movement 
of the church. Doctrinal theology must, therefore, hold an 
important place in every wise course of study for the Chris- 
tian ministry. 

In a third lecture-room above, Church History will be 
taught, — a branch of learning undervalued by some of us. 
In our zeal for the sole authority of the Scriptures, we have 
not indeed placed them too high ; but we have, I fear, some- 
times placed the lessons of God in history too low. The 
mistake, however, was natural, and is sure to be corrected ; 
for we are living in an age of historical inquiry, and must 
adapt ourselves to the wants of our age. Minds of the high- 
est type and culture are searching diligently after the great 
events which have signalized the different periods of Christ's 
reign on the earth, and are seeking to read the Divine thought 
which those events were meant to express ; it is, therefore, 
unwise for ministers of Christ to slight this grand movement, 
and leave its fruits in other hands. They, of all men, should 
be most eager to know the workings of that truth which they 
are called to preach ; and most interesting will they find them 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 



49 



to have been. For Christ is in his church, and every page of 
its history is replete with instruction. Properly read, it is a 
mighty argument for the truth of our holy religion ; an argu- 
ment which has been growing in strength from the day of 
Pentecost until now, and which, in the end, will crush, as 
with the weight of an avalanche the puny offspring of skepti- 
cism. Properly read, it is a faithful monitor, warning us 
betimes of dangerous passes in religious life and thought, 
where by-ways diverge insensibly from the way of truth, and 
charging us to beware of the first and slightest deviation as 
full of peril. Properly read, it is a powerful incentive to 
fidelity, revealing the grace of God to his chosen, with the 
discipline which leads them on towards holiness, and calling 
upon us to follow, in enterprise and self-sacrifice, the radiant 
pathway of men who, like Paul, counted not their lives clear 
unto them. Properly read, it is a vast storehouse of facts, 
vital and thrilling, which may be used to illustrate the Word 
of God, — a vast armory of spiritual weapons which may be 
hurled against the foes of Christ and his truth. Properly 
read, it improves the understanding, expands the heart, and 
augments the faith and power of the true preacher. Church 
history must, therefore, take a high place in every wise course 
of study for the Christian ministry ; and I rejoice that the 
great work of teaching it in this Institution has fallen to an 
officer whose character and ability and labors hitherto give 
assurance of distinguished success. 

In the same room above, instruction will be given in Sacred 
Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties, — instruction which is the nat- 
ural counterpart and complement of all the rest. For the 



50 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

minister of Christ must not only know the truth, but be able 
to express it. He may have the original tongues, the doc- 
trines of grace, and the lessons of history in his mind; he 
may be critical, logical, and well-informed ; he may be wise, 
devout, and zealous, and still not be an effective preacher, 
apt to teach, able to set forth, as it were, before the eyes of 
men Jesus Christ crucified among them. The noblest thought 
may be robbed of its dignity by a mean presentation ; the 
mightiest truth may be shorn of its strength by a faulty ut- 
terance ; the clivinest love may lose itself in unworthy speech, 
as a sparkliug stream disappears in the desert sand. On the 
other hand, we all know that mere commonplaces of thought 
may be so expressed as to fix attention and move the heart. 
We all know that a fluent and impressive speaker can do 
much for the glory of God and the good of men, with little 
learning and perhaps no originality. And we all know that 
the faculty of speech may be cultivated and improved as rap- 
idly as any other faculty. It is, therefore, well-nigh impossi- 
ble to overrate the importance of Sacred Ehetoric in a course 
of study for the ministry. And hardly less important is 
judicious instruction in regard to the nature and duties of the 
Pastoral office, and in regard to the government and disci- 
pline of a Christian church. Intensely practical and interest- 
ing are the questions emerging at every point in this course 
of study ; and I have often been amazed at the levity with 
which candidates for the sacred office forego the benefit of 
examining these questions with a competent teacher, before 
entering upon their arduous work. Many a pastorate has 
been prematurely closed, and many a preacher has been 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 51 

made a fugitive for life, trying in vain to escape from the 
shadow of early mistakes, for want of the knowledge which 
this course of instruction and study affords. But no officer 
of the Institution has need of more patience, tact, wisdom, 
culture, and enthusiasm, than the one who fills the chair of 
Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties. I take pleasure, there- 
fore, in welcoming to this chair — made vacant by the resig- 
nation of my able and honored friend and associate, Dr. 
Train — a Christian brother, who possesses, I believe, these 
qualities in large measure ; whose early training, whose ser- 
vice in a laborious pastorate, and whose wise and high-souled 
adherence to the right in times of peril are credentials giving 
promise of eminent usefulness in the new sphere of labor 
which he enters to-day. Most heartily do I welcome him to 
these scenes and toils and opportunities. 

Thus, Mr. President, every course of study provided for 
by this Institution has direct relation to the pastor's work ; 
everything which is not plainly serviceable in its sacred 
duties is faithfully excluded ; and the student is reminded, at 
every step of his progress, that a great warfare is before him ; 
that he is but strengthening himself for a little time, and 
girding on his armor, in order, thenceforth, to wrestle and 
fight more vigorously "against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spir- 
itual wickedness in high places." I do not, however, claim 
that this school is perfect in plan or in administration. Hu- 
man wisdom will never, perhaps, be able to balance and 
adjust so well the influences brought to bear on students for 
the ministry as to give them the best conceivable culture in 

7 



52 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

every direction — in reason, imagination , and memory — in feel- 
in 2:, taste, and speech. To quicken the religious sensibilities, 
and secure for them a free and full expression ; to bring the 
imagination into vigorous use, without disturbing the rela- 
tions of truth ; to stimulate and employ the reason, making 
it the ally of faith and the servant of a renewed will ; to keep 
the mind alert, the heart open, the conscience tender ; to fill 
the soul with enthusiasm for a lowly, self-denying, but glori- 
ous work ; to call into action every power for good, and 
repress every tendency to evil ; and to put the student in 
possession of all possible resources for his life-work, is a task 
which no body of men on earth will ever perform. But we 
will aim at the sun, if we do not reach it : we will attempt 
much and expect much, though perfection is above. 

This, then, is the gem which you have honored with so 
costly a setting. This fourfold course of study and of in- 
struction it is, which you have seen fit to encourage by erect- 
ing the building which we are about to dedicate. Future 
generations will rise up and call you blessed, and the friends 
of Christ will pronounce this expenditure sagacious and be- 
neficent. For the edifice in which we meet bears witness to 
your love of truth, and confidence in the principles held by 
the founders of this school ; principles which are from above, 
from the Father of lights, and which will flourish best in the 
clearest light. For they are simple, self-consistent, spiritual, 
immortal, and too much cannot be done to present them dis- 
tinctly before the minds of men. I rejoice, therefore, in this 
building as an evidence of your faith in God and his truth, 
and as a pledge of your determination to afford all needed 



ADDRESS BY REV. ALVAH HOVEY, D.D. 53 

helps to our rising ministry in ascertaining that truth, and 
preparing to diffuse and defend it. 

Among these helps is a room more spacious, and perhaps 
more attractive, than any to which I have referred. It is the 
Library, an apartment which must have gratified every one 
who has seen it ; for it is chaste, airy, convenient, and beau- 
tiful, worthy of the architect who planned it, and of the use 
to which it is set apart. And there can be no great seat of 
learning without a good Library. God has been pleased to 
deposit the knowledge of his will in a book ; and nearly all 
the facts which shed light on the pages of that supreme vol- 
ume must be learned from books. These are indispensable 
to theological teachers and students, — the tools with which 
they must labor in building up the edifice of sacred knowl- 
edge. We need more of them here. We have not half the 
volumes which are necessary for the proper examination of 
many questions lying in our very pathway. The vacant 
shelves of that Library ought rapidly to be filled with the 
choicest treasures of sacred learning, and then others should 
be added, alcove after alcove, until we have in this place a 
better collection of theological works than can now be found 
in our land. And when I think of the resources of this 
Building Committee, with their chairman/acz'Ze princeps ; when 
I think of other brethren scarcely less able and no less will- 
ing to aid in every good cause ; and when I see young men 
of enterprise and intelligence ready to join with their seniors 
in council and action to make this Seminary a glory and a 
blessing to our Zion, I augur good for the future. Such 
men, with means in their hands and love to Christ in their 



54 NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION. 

hearts, will carry on the work so nobly begun ; and here, on 
this beautiful spot, prepared by the Architect of Nature for 
such a use, will flourish, through the ages, a " school of the 
prophets," acknowledging the Bible, and the Bible only, 

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